Columbia University PhD Wins 2009 Heinz Dissertation Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 29, 2009
CONTACT: Pamela Larson at plarson@nasi.org

WASHINGTON, DC—The National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) is pleased to announce Lauren Hersch Nicholas as winner of the 16th Annual John Heinz Dissertation Award. Nicholas, currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Michigan, wrote her dissertation, “Medicare Advantage? Managed Care and Medicare Quality, Cost and Enrollment” while she was a doctoral student in Department of Social Policy and Policy Analysis at Columbia University. The dissertation was nominated for the award by Irwin Garfinkel, Mitchell I. Ginsberg Professor of Contemporary Urban Problems at Columbia University School of Social Work.

The award, which includes a $2,500 prize, will be presented during the National Academy of Social Insurance’s 21st Annual Conference on January 29, 2009 in Washington, DC. The Teresa and John Heinz Fund of the Heinz Family Foundation supports the award.

The John Heinz Dissertation Award is issued in honor of Senator John Heinz. As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, he helped chart the Social Security rescue effort in 1983 and worked tirelessly to insulate the Social Security Trust Funds from the rest of the Federal budget. John Heinz was a leading expert in the Senate on private pensions and health care and aging policy. He was a member of the Academy’s Board of Advisors from the organization’s inception in 1986. Robert M. Ball, Founding Chair, said, “John Heinz was a leading proponent of Social Security with a true appreciation of the value of social insurance principles in developing public policy. He was a true supporter of the National Academy of Social Insurance and contributed importantly to its objectives.” The National Academy of Social Insurance is privileged to award this prize in his honor.

The award selection committee is chaired by Robert Hudson, Department of Social Welfare Policy, of Boston University, with members: Christine Bishop, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Rashi Fein, Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and James Morone, Department of Politics, Brown University.

NASI will soon be accepting nominations for the 2010 Heinz Award. To obtain application forms and additional information visit www.nasi.org or contact Pamela Larson (202) 452-8097, or by email at plarson@nasi.org.

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The National Academy of Social Insurance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization made up of the nation’s leading experts on social insurance. Its mission is to promote understanding of how social insurance contributes to economic security and a vibrant economy.